


Sleepless nights

by Distorted_Archivist



Category: The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Album), The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I’m out of violinspector content so i will make more, Post-The Bifrost Incident, i don’t know how to write Johnny D’ville and I am so sorry in advance, i will. I will let lyf have a breakdown, ivy and raph are kinda there, kinda gore but it’s spacey eldritch gore so uh, let lyf have a breakdown, lyf almost dies but dosent, lyf is touched by the bifrost and it’s treated like being touched by a tma entity kinda, theres no like explicit romance but you can tell it’s kinda there, this is my first fic on here pls don’t roast me lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28424064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Distorted_Archivist/pseuds/Distorted_Archivist
Summary: Marius convinces Johnny to let them go back for Lyf and we get some sexy Lyf almost dying pov, also violinspector content
Relationships: Ivy Alexandria & Marius Von Raum, Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum, Raphaella la Cognizi & Marius von Raum
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Sleepless nights

Everywhere. It was everywhere. At this point they couldn’t even distinguish what it was, what anything was. Where did it end and the rest of reality begin? There was no longer a feasible way to distinguish the world-if you could even call it a world anymore- around them. Cascading beams of multicolored fractals seemed to almost engulf the atmosphere, ripping reality at the seams and taking everything with it. The inspectors head spun. They couldn’t even tell what they were looking at anymore. Was this the same world that had been so bright and full of life only moments before? It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible, and yet...as they stared at the crumbling reality around them, and then at the black box still in their hands(were they even hands anymore? They looked blurry) they knew it was possible. It was happening. Right here, and right now, and they began to accept the fact that there was no way they weren’t going to die. They had no way to prevent this from happening, it was already set in stone once they realized it would happen. There was no way they could’ve stopped it. It had always been too late. They had failed- though they never would have even had the chance to succeed. It was over now, but in the same regard, it was just beginning. The end was just beginning. The end was just beginning and it was going to be long and colorful and excruciatingly painful. The inspector, exhausted already from a dreadful fate that hadn’t even begun to take its toll on them yet, looked down at their hands-or, what they assumed must’ve been their hands. It was hard to tell through the blinding colors cracking through their tired skin, blurring their vision, ripping through their nerves and sending an endless brutal wave of pain through them. They couldn’t even scream. There was too much, it was too much for a scream to make any difference, and so the ghost of one remained stuck in their throat. How long had this been going on? Time was beginning to make less and less sense. They knew there was a life before this, but something inside them couldn’t help wondering if this had always been happening. Unseen, yet slowly seeping its way into reality. Or was the reality they thought they knew a lie, and this the only real truth? An eternal leak of otherworldly intelligence making its way at a snail's pace into the broken remains of the world they thought they knew, biding its time until it was finally freed. They could feel it all over. It felt like everything and nothing all at once, like a heavy, wet bag of sharp rocks closing in, stealing their breath and their sanity. Was the substance leaking from their limbs blood? It didn’t look like blood, but with all the pain it must’ve been. Whatever it was, there was a lot of it, and the inspector couldn’t tell if it was entering or exiting their body, being pushed in or pulled out. Perhaps both, but whatever the case it was making their mind go fuzzy and as their consciousness ran out they couldn’t help but feel relieved. If this was how they ended, it certainly was better than all the endless scenarios of a slow painful death they had been dreading. After all, in a way, it was beautiful-the discord and brightly colored fear swirling around them. There was a sort of order to the chaos, an art to the mess, and they admired it in their last few moments. Drinking in the terrible beauty of it all as the pain began to numb and they fell to their knees, eyes growing wet with tears or blood or something else. The ghost of a smile played across their face as the relief of an end came and everything went black.

————————————————————————————————————-

“We need to go back.”

“What??”

Johnny stared at Von Raum in utter disbelief.

“What possible reason would you have to go back there??”

Marius tried to think up a reason that didn’t sound quite as pathetic as his true intentions but eventually gave up and just spat it out.

“I want to go back... for Lyf.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and groaned “Oh Lord help us, you want to go back to an entire universe being brutally torn apart to save one puny little inspector you met in prison? Touching really Marius, oh wait just kidding, POINTLESS.”

“It’s not pointless! And they’re not puny they’re actually quite tall-“

“That’s not the point Marius dammit- we don’t have time for your feelings. We have better things to do than risk the ship against some eldritch God for the sake of one frankly insignificant person!”

“Since when did you care about the ship so much?”

Johnny sighed “I don't want to deal with Nastya’s ranting if we damage the Aurora too bad, it’s annoying.”

Marius clasped his hands together in desperation, “Johnny, please, just this one favor and then nothing else! I promise!”

“There’s a good chance they’re dead already Marius, it's pointless.”

Marius’ stomach dropped at the thought but he shook it off quickly.

“Well, even so, think about how cool it’ll look, seeing Yogsothoth devour an entire universe? Must be one hell of a light show hmmm?”

Johnny seemed to consider this for a moment before slowly nodding his head reluctantly.

“Fine. But only because I know you won't let this go, and I want to see some God level violence. You’d better make this pickup quick.”

Marius beamed, “cross my heart!”

And so the Aurora was off, turning back around toward the Yggdrasil system.

————————————————————————————————————

Holy shit, it really was a hell of a light show.

Whatever this being was that was consuming the reality around it, it was absolutely blinding. Marius could hardly see in front of him as the Aurora travelled swiftly through the bright rainbow swirls and fractals of a broken world. Ivy and Raphiella were with him at the front window, as they were the three who knew the system best.

“See anything?” He asked the other two.

“No more than you.” Replied Raph.

Dammit. What if this was a lost cause? Marius began to dread the worst. What if he was too late? What if they were already-

“I see something!” Ivy suddenly announced and almost instinctively Marius ran over to where she was standing.

There was indeed, something there. It looked to be the remains of a small ship floating amongst the chaos. At first it was hard to tell if it had ever even been a ship- the structure was corrupted so badly by the Bifrost that its figure looked vague and shattered. Rainbow beams pulsed in and around it and it was hard to see inside but despite this Marius felt a pang of determination. He turned to the others.

“Come on,” He ordered, “We need to get on that ship.”  
—————————————————————————————————————  
Getting on that ship was harder than expected, but eventually the three of them made it. The whole place was covered in this..pulsing squamous blinding substance that seemed to be slowly eating away at the ship just as it was eating away at the very reality around them. It was extremely fucked up, but Marius didn’t have time for Ivy’s statistics or Raphiella’s hypotheses. He moved quickly and efficiently through the multicolored mess of a spacecraft, swatting away whatever was trying to eat away at him as well. Ivy and Raph had decided they’d split up and take the other directions of the place. Marius was starting to lose hope when he heard the scientist’s call.

“Over here!!” She shouted urgently.

Marius ran. He sprinted towards Raphiella’s voice and when he arrived, Ivy was already there, but they were not alone. Marius had to hold back a gasp of panic when he saw them. They looked-well- they looked like they were in the middle of being slowly consumed by an ancient eldritch god, which was true. That same substance flowing out of every crack in the ship was flowing out of every wound and every vein in Lyf’s body. They lay motionless on the broken floor of the control room, and for a moment Marius feared they were already dead until he saw the very small and shaky rise and fall of their chest. They were alive, barely, but alive.

He rushed over and knelt down beside the fallen inspector, looking over their ever-flowing wounds and sliding a hand under their head to lift it slightly off the ground.

“Well, dear inspector, you’ve certainly seen better days.”  
—————————————————————————————————————  
They were so ready for death to overtake them, so prepared for whatever respite lay beyond this rainbow hellhole, that the thought of survival utterly surprised them. What was more, the sound of a familiar gruff voice piercing through the loud pulsing thrum of the Bifrost was something they would never have expected.

They still couldn’t move, only breath shakily as the presence of other people in the room became clear. They felt something warm sliding underneath their head before being slowly cradled off the cold ground. It took every last bit of strength to open their eyes just barely. Everything was so blurry, but they could just barely make out the familiar figure hunched over them. They tried to speak, but instead could only cough weakly. Finally, they barely managed to horsley state the obvious.

“...Von Raum?”

—————————————————————————————————————

Relief washed over Marius at the almost whispered words of the inspector and he grinned like an idiot.

“Right then, let’s get you out of this colorful nightmare.”

With that, the bandit scooped up the barely conscious Midgardian and the four of them headed back to the Aurora.  
—————————————————————————————————————

They woke up in a fit of uncontrollable coughs, coughing up that...stuff. It was more than unpleasant. They couldn’t stop, the coughing was violent and they barely took in the darkened room around them or the soft surface underneath them.

They heard a door open and someone rushed in and immediately placed their hands on the inspector’s shoulders to try and calm them down. It was him again. They felt less weak, their vision was clearer and they could see him now. Make out his features.

“There now inspector dont go coughing your brains out will you? Here-“ Von Raum patted Lyf’s shoulders comfortingly, “Try to take some deep breaths now, alright?”

Lyf tried to roll their eyes and retort with some cold remark but could only manage more coughing.

Marius sighed, “Inspector coughing yourself to death won’t do you any good I’m afraid, deep breaths please.” He demonstrated, “like that, see?”

Lyfrassir had no choice but to copy the action. They took a shaky breath in, and then exhaled.

“Excellent!” Von Raum broke into a dopey grin, “Now again.”

Lyf repeated the breath.

“Ooonce more.”

Again.

“Aaand one more just for luck.”

Again.

“Perfect! Feel better?” The bandit inquired.

Lyf did feel better. They were no longer coughing and they were back to breathing normally. They tried to form a reply but were cut off when Von Raum spoke again.

“Here- for all that gunk you hacked up.” He produced a handkerchief from one of his coat pockets and handed it to the inspector proudly. The latter began to wipe away the abundance of that colorful substance that had made its way out of their lungs.

Marius watched them and for a moment Lyf thought they saw an expression of panic and worry dance across his features before he regained his foolish grin and gently patted them on the back once more.

“I’ll leave you to rest then, best not to disturb the healing-you can keep that” he nodded toward the handkerchief, “Not like I’ll be needing your rainbow goop anytime soon” He joked before heading to the door.

Lyf wanted to say something, anything, but whatever words they had got stuck in their fragile throat. They remained silent and Marius began to close the door before locking eye contact once more with an expression of genuine concern.

“Do get some rest will you? And be careful I s’pose, don’t want you dying on m-us.” He corrected himself before shutting the door with a click and Lyf was left to their thoughts.  
—————————————————————————————————————  
Lyf didn’t speak for a while. They healed well enough and they could speak just fine if they wanted to, but for some reason, they stayed silent. Many of the Mechanisms assumed they were in shock, Lyf thought that was probably the case as well, but deep down the truth was that they really just didn’t know what to say. What were they supposed to say? What do you say to the group of immortal space pirates who you thought were your worst tormentors but turn out to be your saviors from a horrific forgotten eldritch God? What do you say to a man who’s only defining trait in your mind was too many violins, but in reality somehow cared enough to pick you out of an entire universe, you alone to save from a reality being consumed, when you’ve never even shown him the smallest ounce of genuine kindness? What do you say to that? Lyf didn’t know, and so they said nothing. They stayed in their chamber, or wandered the ship in utter silence, avoiding the crew as much as possible.

They had nightmares. Frequent, unending and horrific replays of the Bifrost. Every single night their subconscious was plagued with squamous creatures and blinding colors and the oozing rainbow substance that forever dripped from their veins and at this point it was almost an undeniable part of them. A constant reminder that they were not the same inspector who had first started working on the case of the Ratatosk express, and they never would be. They were now touched by this thing- this Bifrost- this god, who consumed their home and almost took them with it. Lyf despised every second they had to remember that they were now an example of that tragedy, hated seeing themself and having to know that they would never again truly be who they once were.

They never told the others about the nightmares. They didn’t see a point in doing so, and in their lasting silence none of the crew members really thought about asking them about it. The dreams were...bearable. Most of the time. It was mostly the same thing over and over again, just a rerun, a reminder, like a broken record on an endless loop. They would be there all over again, for what seemed like an eternity, re-feeling and re-experiencing the pain and the panic and the dread of an ending world, and then they would wake up. It remained this way for weeks until one night when it was all too much for them. Maybe it was the constant stress of having to push everything down, to stay silent and never to talk out their experiences. Maybe it was the undeniable repetition of the nightmares and the knowledge that deep down, they would never sleep peacefully again. That this was a part of their life now. Maybe that’s what finally broke them, but no matter the reason, they did break. That night, they woke up from the same dream, the same horror and panic and subconscious pulse of the Bifrost within them, and they broke. They gave in to the dread and the stress that had built up inside them for all the silent weeks they’d spent on this damned spaceship. They snapped under the weight of being the last fragment of a lost reality. They broke down, tucking their head in their knees and their body erupted and convulsed in untamable sobs. A mixture of tears and some other rainbow liquid poured from their eyes as their cries racked their body. They realized somewhere in the midst of their breakdown that this was the first time they had vocalized in weeks, and the sound of their own voice choked with tears almost surprised them. It must’ve surprised someone else too, because after a few minutes of this, they heard the door swing open.

“Oh- oh dear what’s- what’s happened? Are you hurt did something-“ They heard a very familiar voice stutter in concern. They didn’t need to look up to know who was there, they probably couldn’t’ve looked up if they wanted to, for the life of them they couldn’t stop crying.

Marius stood in the doorway a little at a loss for what to do. This certainly wasn’t something he’d expected after weeks of utter silence and disinterest from the inspector. He walked over to where they sat curled up on the bed and slowly seated himself next to them. Lyf’s figure shook violently and they kept their head in their knees,unable to calm down. Marius rested tentative hands on their shoulders.

“There now inspector- do you want to tell me what’s troubling you?”

Lyfrassir tried to choke something out, but realized they didn’t exactly know how to articulate their emotions, and so the the only sound that escaped their lungs was a weak whimper.

Marius nodded in understanding, “That’s alright, you don't have to, let’s just get you calmed down first eh? Remember those deep breaths?”

The inspector managed a shaky nod.

“Excellent, let's do a few, I know you can. Ready?” Von Raum demonstrated a steady inhale and exhale, “Your turn.”

Lyf copied as best they could, trying to push down their sobbs.

“Wonderful, once more-“

Again.

“Aaaand one more for luck.”

Again.

“Perfect! Breathin’ more easy now?”

Lyf was no longer hyperventilating. Their tears still flowed, but were now toned down to more of a silent weeping. For the first time in many days, they spoke faintly.

“Yes...yes thank you.”

This seemed to take Marius by surprise, and he smiled a little at hearing their voice again.

“Good.” He replied, “I don't want to push you, but if talking will make you feel better, I’m here to listen. I only want to help.”

The inspector hesitated before trying to muster up a sentence.

“I just- I don't really know what came over me I suppose I just...couldn’t take the memories anymore.”

Von Raum tilted his head a little, “memories? Oh, memories of...yes I see.”

Lyf nodded, “I’ve been...having dreams- nightmares I suppose. Just the same scene over and over and I can’t seem to escape it it just seems to keep coming for me-“

“Hold on hold on-“ Marius cut in, “you never mentioned nightmares.”

“I never mentioned much of anything, did I Von Raum?”

The bandit shook his head, “you know what I mean. How long has this been going on?”

“...Since the night you brought me here I suppose.”

Marius’ eyes widened in alarm, “For that long?? And you never thought to tell anyone about it?”

“What would be the point? No one needs to know about my ‘trauma’ or whatever you call this. Better just to keep it to myself.”

Marius sighed with worry, “Lyf- you can't just go weeks without talking to anyone while experiencing all this and not expect to break down like this!! It’s too much pressure to have to endure alone!”

“Well it’s too late now isn’t it?” The inspector spat abruptly, “I’ve already had my ‘break down’ and have probably just woken up everyone on this ship. Lesson learned I suppose, thank you for the insight.”

Lyf spoke coldly and avoided eye contact expecting more arguing and accusations but instead they felt two warm arms wrap around them and pull them into a tight hug. They froze in confusion.

“You know you don't have to go through this alone.” They heard Marius say, “You’ve literally been through hell, it’s only fair you get to have a proper cry about it. You’re allowed to have feelings, Lyf, and you’re allowed to show them to other people.”

The inspector didn’t reply, they only hesitated in silence before slowly returning the embrace and tucking their head into the bandits shoulder. They stayed like that for some time until finally, they spoke again.

“Why?”

Von Raum paused in confusion, “Why what?”

“Why me? Why me out of all of those innocent people who just got devoured by a universe-craving god? Why did you decide to come for me? You could’ve just left and not have had to risk damaging your ship- what’s so important about me? What have I ever done for you? Held you prisoner? Confiscated your musical instruments? Why am I so important to you?”

Marius was quiet for a long while, and for a moment Lyf was sure he didn’t have an answer, before finally, he replied.

“You were only doing your job,” He started, “you were just trying to solve a case, to help people, how were you supposed to know your world would be eaten? Why should you have the blame? Truth is, I rather like you. I don’t think you deserved what you got.”

Lyf definitely didn’t expect that. They didn’t know how to answer so they just said:

“Right.”

And left it at that. Marius seemed to understand though, and they sat, arms still around each other for a little while longer until he pulled away slightly to look at the inspector.

“You should try to sleep.”

Lyf sighed, “It wont work- the dreams-“

“Don't worry!” The bandit cut in triumphantly, “That damned Bifrost can't get you while i’m around! I’ll fight those bad thoughts off for you” He shot them that dopey grin of his.

“I’m not entirely sure that’s how it works” Though they tried to seem unimpressed, Lyf couldn’t help but crack a smile themselves.

“It is now” Von Raum argued and patted the spot where Lyf was laying down before.

The inspector nodded lightly and laid back down, letting their exhaustion from crying overtake them. They felt Marius lay beside them and Lyf turned around to face him. He still wore the same kindly grin.

“I’ll be right here as long as you want me.”

“But-“

“No buts.” He declared, “Not like I have some tight schedule. I don't mind, promise.” He assured them.

Lyf sighed and nodded, after a few moments quietly scooched close to the bandit and rearranging their arms around him, he didn’t seem bothered. Finally, the tired inspector let their eyes droop closed.

Marius must’ve been telling the truth about fighting off those bad thoughts, because for the first time since they arrived aboard the Aurora, Lyfrassir Edda slept perfectly sound.


End file.
